Thoughts, dreams and adventures of an empty nester who has retired and left the Big Apple for a home in the suburbs.

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

William F. Buckley, 1925-2008

William F. Buckley died yesterday. He is generally considered to be the founder of Conservatism.

My first exposure to the Conservative Party was back in 1962 at the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I had gone to a rally at Madison Square Garden with a friend, the same night we heard about the missiles and President Kennedy's response. The speakers were very compelling, and at times I thought we were all going to raid Cuba.

Over the years, I have learned more about Conservativism and am now a conservative and proud of it. I've also done some reading about Bill Buckley. I read his last book, "Miles Gone By". During the reading of this book, I was fascinated by the parallels with the Kennedy's. Both families were wealthy Irish Catholic families, both families were large. The similarities ended there. The elder Buckley insisted that his children learn music and he was very much involved in their lives. It's a very good book, but it's long and can't be read in a weekend.

I loved to listen to Bill Buckley, his voice had a very interesting tone, but I must admit that it's not possible to listen to him without a dictionary nearby. His vocabulary was unbelievable and his diction impeccable.

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About Me

After living the greater part of my life in Queens in NYC, I decided to try country life. I bought the "money pit", then decided to retire to a 55+ community in New Jersey. I'm learning so many things about myself and trying so many new things. I always said I was a late bloomer. But I will always be a New Yorker and proud of it.